Card cutter and printer



Sept 5, 1950 y w. wocKENFuss 2,521,435

l CARD CUTTER -AND PRINTER Filed March 31, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. l'lljallz Mdc/FMS TTM'Y Sept. 5, 1950 w. wocKENFuss CARDCUTTER AND PRINTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3l, 1948 INVENTOR.ll/ckezzlM/s;

BY A

Pereira-.d sept. '57, 195o CARD CUTTER AND PRINTER William Wockenfuss,Union, N. J., assigner to Control Instrument Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application March 31, 1948, SerialNo.18,142

This invention relates to improvements in card cutting and printingmachines and has particular reference to a machine wherein repetitionsdata is printed on a continuous web of paper which is thereafter cutinto predetermined lengths.

In statistical cards employed in the tabulating art, it is highlydesirable that the columns of digits designating index points to belater punched to represent various items, be accurately printed on eachcard and that when this printing is accomplished on a continuous` web ofpaper, the latter should be properly centered with respect to thecutting mechanism which severs the cards from the web in predeterminedlengths- According1y,the present invention has for one of its objectsthe provision of a novel arrangement wherein, as a web of paper is beingprinted, there is concomitantly formed thereon a means which thereaftercooperates with a cuttingA the invention as a whole and not to definethe limits thereofreference being had to the appended claims fol` thispurpose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through a machine embodyingthe features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2- of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a continuous Web, the dot and dashlines indicating the lines of severance when'forming a statistical card;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1showing the printing mechanism in top plan; and

Fig. 5 is ,a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The mechanism of the present invention is shown in its adaptation toacard cutting machine such as disclosed and claimed in the U. S. patentto K. J. Braun, 2,436,192, dated February 17, 1948, and the accompanyingdrawings illustrate suilicient portions of said machine to demonstratethe application of the invention thereto.

The machine of said patent may be described as comprising a supportingframe 6 which carries 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-227) at one end (not shown) aroll of paper which is fed through the machine in a continuous web 1 bymeans of continuously operating feed rollers 8 and 9, the former ofwhich is positively driven, by intermeshed gears I0, from the driveshaft II having a pulley I2 thereon operated from the motor I3 From therollers 8, 9, the web is extended downwardly in a compound loop I4 topass through a printing mechanism to be later described, and thenceupwardly through a rigid guide I5 which prevents lateral shifting of theweb. From said guide, the web passes between idler rollers I6 and thevertical guide plates I1, only one of which is shown, to the cuttingmechanism which operates to sever the web into predetermined lengths.

Said cutting mechanism is of the reciprocating type and `comprises abase I 8 attached to the frame 6 and which supports a, stationary dieplate I9 over which the web I is fed preparatory to a cutting operation.Suitably guided by posts 20 (Fig. 2) for vertically reciprocatingmovement above the plate I9 is a head 2| operated from the shaft I l bypitmans 22 and rocking levers 23 connected to said head. A movable dieplate 24 cooperates with the plate I9 to intermittently stop themovement of the web I through the cutting mechanism and to hold the samewhile it is being severed. Said plate 24 ls supported in spaced relationto the head 2I by means of screw bolts 25 about which springs 26 arecoiled to normally urge the plate 24 downwardly and are compressed bythe downward movement of said head relative to said plate while thelatter is engaged with the web 1 during the severing operation. Thecutting of the web is accomplished along the dot and dash lines of Fig.3 by cutting blades 21 and 28 at opposite ends of the head and a thirdblade 29 which is diagonally disposed with respect to the blade 28 andarranged adjacent thereto so as to sever one corner of the strip, as iscustomary in statistical cards.

The portions of the web 'I immediately in advance of the cutting blade21 passesover a depressible support 30 which, immediately before andafter the severing operation, has its supportingsurface in the samehorizontal plane as the upper surface of the stationary die plate I9.Said support 30 is forced downwardly by set screws 3l as the blade 21cuts the web and, in so doing, the severed end of the web over thesupport 30 is lowered so as to abut against the adjacent end of the dieplate I9 which thus temporarily stops the feed of the web into thecutting mechanism until the head 2| again rises, after thecutting&operation, to retract the screws 3 I so that. the support 30 canrestore to normal position to again elevate the extremity of the web sothat it may pass on to the upper surface of the plate I9. During theintervalwhen the support 30 is depressed and feed' of the web into thecutting mechanism is stopped, an excess of material will accumulatebetween the rollers I6 and said plate I9 due to the continuous feed ofthe web toward the cutting mechanism. T his excess material will forminto a loop underneath the leaf spring 32 which is placed undertensionby said loop and acts, when the support 3U is restored, to impel saidexcess of material into the cutting mechanism between the die plates I9and 24 preparatory to another cutting operation. As soon as the dieplate 24 recedes upwardly after the severing of the card, constantlydriven rollers 33, operated from` the shaft I I, will discharge the cutcard from between the die plates and outwardly between the dischargerollers 34 before the spring 32 acts to project the free end of the webinto the cutting mechanism.

The printing mechanism is shown as comprising a housing 35 dependingfrom the frame 6 of the machine and having in its bottom an inkreservoir 36 from which the fluid is carried upwardly by the idlerrollers 31 to the printing roller 38. 'Ihe shaft of said roller carriesa pulley 39 (Fig. 4) at one end thereof which is driven from the shaftII. Cooperating with the printing roller 38 is a flanged roller 40 whichis positively driven by the roller 38 by means of meshed gears 4Icarried on the shafts of said rollers. The loop I4 of the web 1 firstpasses between the roller 40 and idler roller 42 and then betweenrollers 38 and 40, the latter of which may be adjusted by set screws 43at opposite ends of the shaft of the roller and mounted in the housing35, only one of said set screws being shown in the drawing. Thisadjustment is utilized to vary the tension of the roller 40 against theweb 1 as it is passing between the rollers 38, 4I). The roller 38 isprovided on its surface with an impression plate 44 or the like havingkcolumns of numerals and other indicia so that the adjacent surface ofthe web will be printed as it passes between the rollers 38, 40.

Upon each revolution of said rollers 38, 40, the same cooperate to formon said web a means which is subsequently employed to properly centerthe portion of the web in the cutting mechanism with respect to thecutting blades thereof so that when a card is cut from the web4 theprinted matter thereon will be accurately it will be properly positionedas the die plate 24v vengages the same andthe cutting blades descendpositioned with respect to the edges of the card.

This centering means takes the form of a series of holes 45 punchedequi-distances apart in the web and located adjacent one longitudinaledge thereof and in the portion 46 which is severed from the freeextremity of the web by the blades 28-29 as the card is being cut. 'Toform said holes 45 in the web, the roller 38 is provided with aprojecting punch 41 and the roller 40 is formed with a radiallyextending opening 48 in which a die 49 is mounted for cooperation withthe punch 41, upon each revolution of the rollers, to punch the web andthus form said holes. Said roller 40 is also provided at its endadjacent the die with a tapered chamber 50 communicating with theopening in the die 49 so as to receive chips from the web 1 anddischarge said chips outwardly from said end of the roller.

The `printing mechanism is disposed so as to print the downwardly movingportion 0f the loop Following a. cutting operation and subsequentprojection of the free end of the web 1 into the cutting mechanism bythe spring ,32, the head 2I again descends preparatory to the cutting ofanother card and before the movable die Plate 24 i engages said end ofthe web to hold the same while it is being cut.- a tapered centering pin5I (Figs. 1 and 2) carried by the head 2| will enter the hole 45 in theportion of the web following that about to be severed and if the latterportion is not accurately positioned for contact by l the guide plate24, preliminary to being cut, the tapered pin 5I entering said hole 45will shift saidl latter portion between the die plates so that to cutthe web. The blades 28, 29 sever the portion 48 which contains the hole4l from .the free extremityoi' the web, and the card is thus completedand ejected from the cutting mechanism by the rollers 33 and 34 afterthe head 2l has again risen to disengage the guide plate 24 from thecard.

What is claimed is: I

1. The combination with a cutting mechanism for severing predeterminedlengths from a continuous web, said mechanism including a reciprocatoryhead having cutting elements spaced apart a distance equal to saidpredetermined lengths, means to continuously feed said web toward saidcutting mechanism, means on said head for holding stationary thatportion of the web in said cutting mechanism between said cuttingelements while the last named means is continuously moving the remainderof the web and while said cutting elements are severing a predeterminedlength of web, and means activated by the continuous movement of saidweb to feed the free end thereof into said cutting mechanism afterseverance of a length of the web; of printing means through which thecontinuously moving web is fed for repetitively printing successiveportions thereof, said printing means including opposed rollers whichcontinuously grip said web throughout its passage between the same, andsaid rollers Y having cooperating punching means for forming openings insaid web at points spaced a distance equal to that between said cuttingelements and in predetermined relation to the printed portions of saidweb, and centering means for said web carried by said head and enteringone of said openings upon each reciprocation of said head prior to theoperation of said holding means. y

2. The combination with a cutting mechanism for severing predeterminedlengths from a continuous web, said mechanism including a reciprocatoryhead having cutting elements spaced apart a distance equal to saidpredetermined lengths, means to continuously feed said web vated by thecontinuous movement of said web'to feed the freeend thereof into saidcutting mechanism after severance of a length of the web; oi' printingmeans positioned in advance of the last named means and includingcooperating rotary members between which said web is fed to repetitivelyprint the same at spaced intervals as it is being continuously advancedand which grip said web throughout its passage between the same,coacting perforating means carried by said rotary members for formingopenings in said web which are spaced apart a distance equal to thatbetween s'aid cutting elements and formed in the spaces between saidrepetitive printing, and a centering pin for said web carried by one endof said head and entering one of said openings prior to the severance ofsaid web by one of said cutting elements the other of which severs fromsaid web a portion thereof containing the opening in advance of the oneentered by said pin.

v WILLIAM WOCKENFUSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

